For a discussion of the problems, check out Illinois farmer Jeremy Wolf’s descriptions of the problems on his non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans in the heart of central Illinois. If this isn’t enough, read University of Missouri’s article: “Ag Industry, do we have a problem yet?”

Federal crop insurers, who usually come to farmers’ rescue when faced with crop damage, have been quick to point out that crop insurance policies do not cover dicamba drift. The USDA started its owned FAQ page just for this reason, explaining “chemical damage caused by improper application by a producer or inadvertently through a third party” is not a covered loss.

No one want really wants to take responsibility for the issues, so who is going to pay for losses when this is all said and done? For the first time in history, I think ag data is going show us who is responsible, but also tell us the limitations on what we can learn from data in 2017.